The
scheme of Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) is a unique scheme crafted by the
Government of India.JSSs are institutes of People’s Education focusing on the
poor, the illiterates, the neo-literates, the under-privileged and the un-reached.The
Jan Shikshan Sansthans are unique in that they do not provide just skill
development, but link literacy with vocational skills and provide large doses of
Life Enrichment Education (LEE) to the people.They do not work in isolation but
aim for convergence with other stakeholders in society.It is their endeavour to
shape their beneficiaries into self reliant and self-assured employees and
entrepreneurs.

The
Jan Shikshan Sansthans are unique also because they offer quality vocational
skills and technical knowledge at a very low cost.Their doors are open to
everyone and they reach out to their clientele groups by setting up sub centres
in the heart of the slum or in remote rural areas.They are different from other
vocational training institutions as they offer quality vocational skills and
technical knowledge at such a low cost; provide need based and literacy-linked
vocational training in most courses without insisting on age limit or prior
educational qualifications; reach out to the clientele in their areas unlike
other institutions which the clientele has to access whether near or far; offer
a multi-faceted skill-knowledge-awareness enhancement and outlook formation
trainings and inputs and empowerment-oriented interventions in respect of
social, economic and health status improvement of women and adolescent girls.

The
scheme of Jan Shikshan Santhan (JSS) was initially launched in 1967 as Shramik
Vidyapeeth, a polyvalent or multi-faceted adult education institution, aimed at
improving the vocational skills and quality of life of the industrial workers
and their family members as well as those persons who had
been migrating from
rural to urban settings.

The
scheme of Shramik Vidyapeeth was renamed as Jan Shikshan Sansthan in April
2000.Along with the change in its name came the change in its focus. A scheme
that was meant for the industrial workers and their families was expanded both
in terms of its clientele and focus and was extended to the rural areas.There
was logic for its expansion.Total Literacy Campaigns, launched after the setting
up of the National Literacy Mission in 1988, had transformed the literacy
landscape of the country and created an army of neo-literates who having
realized the power of the written word, now wanted to use it to improve their
livelihoods through skill development.The post-literacy programme had given a
few of them the taste of vocational skills but the continuing education
programme promised to extend it to many more beneficiaries.That became the
rationale of setting up more Jan Shikshan Sansthans, to match the needs of the
districts. Today, there 221 Jan Shikshan Sansthans in the country and they are
expected to act as district level resource support agencies especially in regard
to organization of vocational training and skill development programmes for the
neo-literates and other target groups of the continuing education programme.The
current aim is that the JSSs should progressively move towards having 50% of
their beneficiaries from amongst the neo-literates.

Funding

The Government of India provides annual lump sum grant to these institutes in a
set pattern. The funds provided by the government are to be spent under
different heads, the ceiling for which have also been prescribed in the
guidelines prepared by the Government. There is no interference of the
Government in the affairs of the Sansthans except monitoring their performance
and also ascertaining before releasing further grants whether the funds are
being utilized as per the guidelines issued by it. The Government of India
representative in the Board of Management of the Institute facilitates in taking
appropriate decisions and guides the institution in organizing various
programmes and activities.

Funding Pattern

The funding pattern for different categories of Jan Shikshan Sansthan is as
under:

Category
`A’

Rs.
35 lakh

Category
`B’

Rs.
30 lakh

Category
`C’

Rs.
25 lakh

Non recurring

Category
`A’

Rs.
15 lakh

Category
`B’

Rs.
10 lakh

Categorization

Now the Jan Shikshan Sansthans are classified into three categories depending
upon their location and performance.

The
objectives of JSS were redefined in the context of the literacy movement which
was graduating rapidly into Post-Literacy (PL) and Continuing Education (CE)
phases, with vocational and life skill up-gradation as a part of their agenda.
The enhanced role of the JSS included the following: (i) impact vocational
skills, life skills and technical knowledge to neo-literates and their trainees
and raise their efficiency and increase their productive ability; (ii) provide
academic and technical resource support to Zila Saksharta Samiti (ZSS),
including training its Resource Persons, Master Trainers and Preraks, to take up
vocational and skill development programmes primarily for neoliterates; (iii)
serve as Nodal Continuing Education Centre (NCEC) and also to manage,
coordinate, supervise and monitor 10-20 CECs, as envisaged in the Scheme of
Continuing Education Programme; (iv) organize equivalency programmes for its
beneficiaries through National and State Open Schools; (v) through Life
Enrichment Education (LEE), wide the knowledge and understanding of the social,
economic and political systems among its beneficiaries in order to create a
critical awareness about the environment; (vi) promote national goals such as
secularism, national integration, women’s equality, protection and
conservation of the environment.

The Jan Shikshan Sansthans offer a large number
(371) of
vocational training programmes from candle making to computer courses. In the
year 2006-07, 17.53 lakh beneficiaries have been covered under various
vocational training programmes and other activities.

The performance of Jan Shikshan Sansthans is
evaluated every three years by reputed evaluating agencies empanelled with
National Literacy Mission.So far,116 Jan Shikshan Sansthans have been evaluated.